Railway-signal



(No Model.)

G. 0., J. P. A. 8v J. F. HANLON.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 267,195. Patented Nov. 7, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE O. HANLON, JOSEPH P. A. HANLON, AND JOHN F. l-IANLON, OFCAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAlLWAY-S|GNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 267,195, dated November'7, 1882.

Application filed September 2, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE 0. HANLON, J OSEPH P. A. HANLON, and JOHN F.HANLON, of Cambridge, Middlesex county, Massachu- 5 setts, have inventedanlmprovement in Railway-Signals, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Ourinvention relates to asignal for railways; to and it consists mainlyin a lantern or light-inclosing case having segments of different color,mounted to rotate so as to bring the said segments successively in thepath of the rays of light. The said lantern is actuated by anelectro-magnet, which at each impulse moves a sufficient distance topresent anew segment before the light, and thus give a different signalfrom that displayed before the said movement takes place. A lockingdevice engages 2 the rotating lantern when it is moved a sutficientdistance to change the signal, the said locking device beingautomatically released when the electro-magnet begins to move thelantern. An electric switch is employed to send the successive electricimpulses required to move the lantern, the said switch indicating by itsposition theposition occupied by the lantern.

Figurel is avertical section ofa sufficient por- 30 tion ofasignal-lantern and its operating mechanism to illustrate this invention;Fig. 2, an end elevation of the device actuated by the electro-magnet,and Fig. 3 a plan view of the key or switch by which the electricimpulses are sent to operate the lantern.

The globe or lantern is composed of segments cc, of different color-one,for instance, being clear glass and the other red or greenthe saidsegments being shown as each form- 4o ing one-fourth of the saidlantern, which may globe is also provided near its lower end with (Nomodel.)

a flange, d, fitting tightly in a socket, 0, upon a bevel-gear wheel,],the central hub of which forms the socket for the carbon or support forother illuminating apparatus, and has a bearing at 2 upon the frame-workA, the said gearwheel f and frame-WorkA being made open, or havingspokes beneath the globe ca, in order to supply air, if oil or otherfuel is used for illuminating. I

The said bevel-wheel f meshes with the bevel pinion g, mounted on atubular spindle, h, and connected by a train of gearing, i t 6' 5 with ashaft, j, having mounted thereon an actuating toothed or ratchet wheel,k, the teeth of which are engaged by a pawl, Z, carried by a rod, m,connected with the armature a of an electro-magnet, 0, the said armaturebeing shown as having cylindrical poles moving axially into the hollowcoils of the said magnet, in order to give a long range of movement tothe said armature. When the armature a is attracted by the magnet o thepawl Z, engaging the teeth of the actuating-ratchet 70, moves it for thespace of one tooth, and thus,through the intermediate gearing, rotatesthe gear f and lantern a a thereon for the space of a quarterof arevolution, or are, which may be occupied by a segment of one color inthe said globe, so that the light proceeding in a given direction hasits color changed, and consequently affords a different signal.

The gearfis provided witha series of studs, 12, corresponding inposition with the arcs occupied by the different sections a a ofthelantern, the said studs being engaged by a looking device, (shown asa lever, r,) pivoted at 4, and provided with a pawl, t, engaged by aprojection, to, on the rod m, so that when the said rod begins itsupward movement under the influence of the magnet 0 to rotate the wheel7c and lantern the sail lever r is disengaged from the projection 12,permitting the gear f to rotate freely after the said lockinglever r isthus disengaged. The pawl t, in the further upward movement, engages aprojection, '0, on an arm of the frame-work A of the apparatus, and isthus disengaged from the projection to on the rod m, permitting thelever 0*- to return to its normal position (shown in the drawings) underthe action of the spring 1", so as to engage the next studp on thelantern, thus arresting its movement at the proper time. When the magnet0 is demagnetlzed the armature r, with its rod m, is retracted by its.weight, assisted, if needed, by the force of a spring in the usualmanner, and engages the next tooth of a ratchet, [0, ready to actuatethe lantern when the magnet 0 is again magnetized. The currents are sentfor the purpose of magnetizing the said magnets by means of a switch, 8,(see Fig. 3,) pivoted at 6 and connected with a suitable battery. Themetallic portion of the said switch, in moving across between theletters W It, makes contact with a button, s, connected with the lineleading to the magneto, thus sending a current through the said magnetand causing it to rotate the signal-lantern,as before described. Thelet-- ters it WV are intended to represent red and white-the colors ofthe segments a a of the lantern usually employed; and it will be seenthat the position of the switch 8 adjacent to one or the other ofthe'said letters will indicate the position of the lantern, as the saidlantern will always change its position when the said switch is changedfrom one to the other of the said letters.

We claim 1. In a signal, the globe or lantern composed of segments ofdifferent color, mounted to rofate in its frame-work, combined with anactuating-magnet and intermediate mechanism between the armature of thesaid magnet and the said lantern, whereby it is rotated to present adifferent segment in the path of the light when the said armature ismoved, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the lantern composed of segments of differentcolor, of a supporting gear-wheel for the said lantern, and anactuating-ratchet operatively connected with the said gear-wheel, and aneleetro-magnet and its armature provided with a pawl to engage the teethof the said ratchet and rotate the said lantern, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the lantern having segments of different color,mounted to rotate, as described, and provided with locking-projections,with an actuating clectro-magnet,its armature, and a locking device forthe said lantern operated by the armature of the said magnet, asdescribed, whereby the said lan tern is released when the magnet beginsto rotate it, and is engaged and locked at the end of thesaid rotation,substantially asdescribed.

4. The lantern composed of segments of different color, mounted torotate upon a pivoted wheel provided with locking-projections, combinedwith an electro-magnet, its armature, intermediate mechanism between thesaid armature and supporting-wheel for the lantern, and a pivotedlocking-lever normally in the path of the said projections and operatedby the said armature, whereby itis removed from the path of the saidprojections when the armature begins to move the signal, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE OTTO HANLON. JOSEPH P. A. HANLON. JOHN F. HANLON. Witnesses:

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, BERNICE J. NOYES.

